S&P Global to buy IHS Markit for $44 billion

(Reuters) Business information provider S&P Global Inc agreed on Monday to pay $44 billion in stock to acquire IHS Markit Ltd in the year’s biggest acquisition that will create a new data powerhouse serving Wall Street and the corporate world. 

The deal raises the stakes in the consolidation sweeping the fragmented financial information services industry, as companies race to create one-stop shops to lure the biggest clients and invest in artificial intelligence and machine learning.